title: [Clinical course of cutaneous melanoma of the head and neck, and the factors affecting patient survival].
abstract: It was found that melanomas of the skin of the head and neck, compared to the trunk and limbs, were characterized by a greater proportion of men, an older average age of the patients, high frequency spindle cell tumors, more frequent synchronous distant metastasis and worse survival. Melanomas, which are localized on the skin of the neck and scalp, have similar aggressive clinical course and are characterized by worse overall and disease-free survival than skin melanomas on the trunk and limbs. However, melanomas of the skin on the ear and face proceed more favorably as compared to skin melanomas of the scalp and neck. Multivariate regression analysis using Cox models showed that the melanoma of the head and neck Breslow tumor thickness was the strongest predictor of overall survival. For skin melanomas of the neck and scalp Breslow tumor thickness was the only significant independent factor for overall survival. In melanoma, skin and ear predictors of survival are: sex, age and tumor thickness. In skin melanomas of the face and ear predictors of survival were sex, age and tumor thickness.
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Tarkov
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Mikhnin
authors.forename: K V
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Shelekhova
authors.forename: O S
authors.initials: OS
authors.lastname: Frolova
authors.forename: A O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Nefedov
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D004428:Ear Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D005121:Extremities; D005153:Facial Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000556:secondary; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009378:Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012426:Russia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012535:Scalp; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate; D060726:Torso